Large banners are often utilized in order to display information in a clear, aesthetically-pleasing manner, such as in connection with trade show displays and the like. It is desirable for the display banner to be easy to erect, to be durable and sturdy, to be reusable, and to have an attractive appearance.
Collapsible wall structures have been developed as part of such displays, such as the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,097. A common size for such wall structures is approximately eight feet tall by ten feet in width, which is the typical approximate size of an individual booth at many trade shows. It is common for such wall structures to form a convex or multi-sided shape, so that the wall structure can be free-standing and not require any additional support members. The free-standing configuration is also important so that the wall structure itself requires minimal space.
Mounted upon such wall structures, or upon any suitable support framework, are display banners or panels. These display banners are typically made of a flexible plastic material. The use of this type of material is advantageous, in that the banner can be rolled into a bundle for compact storage and ease of transportation, while at the same time being durable.
However, with conventional display assemblies, when a banner is hung from such a wall structure, the banner must typically follow the shape of and lie against the convex wall structure. The banner cannot be hung straight across so as to span the ends of the wall structure, because the banner would sag in the middle and result in an unattractive and difficult-to-read display. To provide lighting for this type of display, a plurality of lights are mounted upon booms which extend in front of the wall, the lighting being directed back toward the banner. With this type of assembly, backlighting of the display banner cannot be achieved.
Various attempts have been made to allow for the mounting of a rigid banner which spans across the convex wall structure, but none of these attempts have been entirely adequate. It is possible to simply use a banner constructed of rigid material; however, such a display banner or panel would be unduly cumbersome and would prevent the transportation of the banner from location to location. Another approach is to incorporate rigid support members upon the back side of the display banners. However, these rigid support members are typically non-collapsible and therefore difficult to store and transport, or the rigid support members block the light which is emitted from the backlighting source, thereby making backlighting either impossible or less effective. Also problematic is the use of rigid support members which are separate from the banner itself. This type of design requires a difficult, awkward and time-consuming assembly process in order to attach the support member to the display banner. This assembly process requires at least two people to attach the rigid support member and also causes complications when mounting the display banner to the support framework. Once the rigid support member finally is attached to the banner, it may detach itself from the back of the display banner, resulting in a display assembly which is structurally unsound.
The present invention addresses these and many other problems associated with currently available display apparatus.